Scot Peterson, a former school safety officer for Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, speaks about his job at a Broward County Schools meeting in February 2015.

The ex-school safety deputy who waited outside as a teen gunman killed 17 people at a Florida high school is not a "coward" and acted appropriately based on the chaotic circumstances, his attorney said Monday.

Scot Peterson, who resigned from the Broward County sheriff's office last week, posted outside the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on the afternoon of Feb. 14 because he thought the shots were "originating from outside," attorney Joseph DiRuzzo III said in a statement.

President Trump called Peterson a "coward" over the weekend.

(JONATHAN ERNST/REUTERS)

"Let there be no mistake, Mr. Peterson wishes that he could have prevented the untimely passing of the seventeen victims on that day, and his heart goes out to the families of the victims in their time of need," DiRuzzo continued. "However, the allegations that Mr. Peterson was a coward and that his performance, under the circumstances, failed to meet the standards of police officers are patently untrue."

President Trump, the National Rifle Association and right-wing media outlets ripped Peterson as a "coward" over the weekend after it was revealed that he waited outside for several minutes as Nikolas Cruz, 19, methodically walked through the halls of his old school and killed his former classmates and teachers with an AR-15 assault rifle.

"(The Broward County Sheriff's Office) trains its officers that in the event of outdoor gunfire one is to seek cover and assess the situation in order to communicate what one observes to other law enforcement," DiRuzzo said. "Consistent with his training, Mr. Peterson 'took up a tactical position.'"

DiRuzzo added that his client will continue to cooperate with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's investigation, "which we hope will detail the events of that tragic day and which we believe will ultimately clear Mr. Peterson's name."

In the wake of the Stoneman Douglas massacre, Trump was quick to blame the FBI and local law enforcement for failing to act on "red flags" about Cruz. Echoing NRA talking points, Trump has been reluctant to talk about gun control and continues to argue that armed teachers could've prevented the bloodbath.

Students are evacuated by police from Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Feb. 14.

(Mike Stocker/AP)

Trump doubled down on his criticism of local cops Monday, blasting their response as "frankly disgusting." He also claimed that he would have rushed into the school even if he was unarmed.

"I really believe I'd run in there even if I didn't have a weapon and I think most of the people in this room would have that too," Trump said during a White House press conference. "But the way they performed was really a disgrace."